19 [8] : Positive Façade (2)

Marco and Dacron were still both in their respective thought bubble, crouching in front of the blue bike, but both their minds were wandering elsewhere. Cooper and the brown-haired kid were on the other side, also crouching to inspect the green bike.

"Dacron! Dacron!" the blond boy called out, trying to catch the attention of the tan young lad, which he did.

Dacron cut his gaze from Sync and ruffled his own hair, pulling himself out from remembering the encounter he had with his older brother earlier. He then glanced up to the boy and raised an eyebrow, motioning him to shoot what he wanted to ask.

"Who's this man?" the blond boy innocently asked, pointing at the silent Marco. "I've never seen him before… Is he your friend?"

Dacron lightly laughed at that. He waved his hand that was hanging on his knees, directionless.

"Wyatt," Dacron addressed the kid and asked, "You think he's my friend? Why do you say so?"

Wyatt placed a hand on his chin, posing a posture of an adult, seemingly thinking. After a while, his blue eyes brightened, and he jumped.

"This man looks handsome, and he seems uh… kinda nice too! So, you know? I think he's a good friend."

Dacron laughed harder when he heard the boy's reasoning. He fell from his crouch, now sprawled on the warm cemented ground with his arms supporting his weight. He was cackling as if he heard the funniest joke of his lifetime, but there was no sense of joy from his laugh.

"Ah, what a nice reasoning you got there, Wyatt," he said in a huff.

Cooper watched his friend laughing, but it didn't feel right. He sighed and shook his head to get rid of the uneasiness he was feeling.

"You think it's still manageable? I can still use it, right?" the brown-haired kid anxiously asked while fidgeting with his fingers.

Cooper turned his eyes away from Dacron and gave a gentle smile at the kid, "Don't worry, there's no major problem. I promise it will be fixed in no time, Luke."

Wyatt pouts as he stares down at the brunette-haired youngster that was continuously laughing on the ground.

Dacron felt like he was being judged by the kid, so he let out a forced cough to hide whatever he was feeling. He decided to shift the attention from him to something else, anything. He was uncomfortable with the attention given to him, even if it was just a single gaze looking at him.

The tan lad was roaming his eyes around until it landed on the quiet person next to him. He found the perfect subject for his misdirection.

"Pay attention to the kid, will you? He was even praising your appearance," Dacron nudged the motionless, lost soul with his elbow, hitting the latter on his side. "Hey, quit spacing out, will you?"

Marco jerked from the nudge and almost gripped Dacron's arm by instinct. The lost soul was about to constrict it if he hadn't snapped in time and realized what he was about to do. He dropped his hand and frowned at it.

Dacron laughed, not noticing anything wrong, "Are you finally back on earth? You've been staring at that tire as if you're baring more holes into it."

Marco stared at the tan young lad straight in the eye. His eyes glowed more bluish under the sunlight, reflecting the vast clear sky.

The morning autumn air blew and brought forth the chilly breeze and the swirling fallen leaves in the air, allowing them to float from the ground and drift for a little while.

'I'm not that detached from the world to not hear you.'

'Why do you have to force yourself to seem happy even if you aren't?'

Marco heard him, even if he was almost zoning out. He didn't move from his position or even make a sound, but he silently listened.

He heard his fake laughter. It was rather obvious, as it sounded louder, resounding within the premise. The faint cracks and faltering of his voice didn't escape from his ears.

Marco wanted to say something, but he did not know what to say.

Dacron's dark-brown irises quivered from the lost soul's gaze. It wasn't even a glare, and Marco didn't even narrow his eyes, but Dacron could feel a strange intensity and conviction in those empty orbs. It felt like he could see through him.

"What? Is there something on my face? Don't stare at me like you're dealing with a calculus equation." Dacron sarcastically said. It wasn't an offhanded remark but a retort of avoidance.

Marco blinked twice, and he thought, 'Calculus equation? It's not that hard, compared to faking a positive façade.'

It hasn't been long since they knew each other, barely at that. But within the span of around four hours, Marco knew that something was troubling the tan young lad.

'It must have been because of his older brother,' Marco thought but instantly stopped himself. 'Don't meddle with other people's business.'

"I… uh, I'll head inside. I need to uh, inform Sync before he sleeps," Dacron fumbled with his words while abruptly standing up.

He maintained a smile as he ruffles the boy's golden locks before dusting off his shorts and making his way to the building. "I'll be right back."

Marco watched as the brunette youngster bypassed him, witnessing his etched smile vanish the instant he turned away from the kid.

Just as Dacron entered the premises of the workshop, Cooper also abruptly stood up, straining his eyes on the tan young lad's back.

"That bloody…" Cooper muttered under his breath. He gritted his teeth to hold himself back from yelling.

The auburn-haired youngster clucked his tongue in annoyance, furrowing his brows in the process. He bit his lower lip as he quickly rummages his brain for thoughts.

After being silent for a whole minute, Cooper moved his eyes to the brown-haired kid and gently patted his shoulder.

"Luke, I need to go inside too. Why don't you go and have a chat with our new friend here," Cooper said as gently as he could while glancing back at the crouching man clad in black.

"You don't mind looking after them, right?"

Marco shook his head. "It's fine. Go ahead."

"Thanks," The auburn-haired youngster turned back to Luke, who was looking at the lost soul. "You don't have to worry. He's a good person."

Marco huffed when he heard the familiar "good person" being used to describe him. He remembered the nonsense Dacron spouted during breakfast. He then instantly scowled at that thought.

"You and Wyatt need to stay here for a while. We'll fix your bicycles once we get back. Just shout when something happens, okay?" Cooper reminded the kid. And after getting a nod and a small "okay" as a response, he also went into the workshop.

The two kids huddled over in front of Marco. Wyatt has his arms crossed before his chest, acting like a small intimidating boss. Luke, on the other hand, has his eyes down while fidgeting with his fingers.

'They look like the younger versions of Dacron and Cooper with different hair colors.'

"Hi. I'm Marcus Harrison," Marco introduced himself with a smile, his tone a little higher than his usual voice to match the kids' comfort.

The two kids glanced at each other, seemingly communicating telepathically. It didn't bother the lost soul, and he just gently looked at them. Marco had a smile etched on his lips as he waited.

They seemed to have agreed on a conclusion, as the blond kid grins. He turned to Marco, his grin never leaving his face.

"I'm Wyatt Evans, and this is my best friend," he motions to the brown-haired boy and drapes his arm around the latter's shoulder. He whispered, "Go introduce yourself. He seems nice, don't worry."

The brown-haired kid nodded, his green eyes glistening as he built up his courage. "H-hello… I'm Luke Williams"

Marco could tell that he was nervous and not comfortable with interacting with other people. He gave him a comforting smile and wanted to ruffle the boy's hair, but he knew better than they were still strangers, and he might scare the kids, so he didn't.

"You did great," the lost soul gently praised.

Luke was taken aback by the sudden praise, and his cheeks flushed a faint red shade.

Wyatt also seemed proud of his friend as he looked at the timid boy in his arms with a wide smile. He fulfilled the urge of the lost soul as he ruffled Luke's brown locks that made the latter's face flush even more.

Marco was fondly looking at them. He didn't want to intrude and ruin the moment, but the blue bike in the background caught his attention. He then remembered why the two kids were here in the first place.

'Dacron and Cooper were still probably talking, and old man Charles was also nowhere in sight. The kids might wait longer before their bicycles get fixed.'

He stared at the deflated wheel. 'It's just some flat tires. Those are easy to handle.'

'But would they let me do it? The old man might get mad.'

Marco considered, and after contemplating about it, he still betted on the odds.

"Why don't we start fixing your tires," Marco suggested and saw the two kids giving him a hopeful look. He smiled at them and asked, "Is that okay with you two?"

The two kids' eyes brightened, and they earnestly nodded. They were both excited, and it made Marco feel warm while looking at them.

"It's more than okay!" Wyatt chirped.

Marco still held his smile and said fondly, "Hmm… But you two will help me."

---

Marco's ears perked up as he heard a loud thud coming from above, sounding like something hit the wall. He glanced at the two kids conversing, and they seemed to have not heard anything as both got engrossed with their conversation about supernatural beings such as goblins and gremlins.

The lost soul diverted his eyes to the second floor, at the sliding window on the right-wing. Marco could hear the faint genuine laugh of Dacron despite the distance. He could also hear the muffled voice of Cooper, although he couldn't make up what he was saying.

The lost soul breath out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. He leaned back with his arms supporting his weight and didn't notice how the corner of his lips slightly quirked upwards.